1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for closing and sealing containers or compartments therein. More specifically, the invention relates to resealable closure apparatus that provides a plurality of discharge apertures and does not require removal in any fashion from the container upon which it is affixed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Container closures are known in the art that provide a plurality of discharge apertures within one given container. One such closure device provides two plates disposed parallel to each other and fastened together at a point central upon the surface of the plates such that (1) the plates may be rotated axially with respect to each other about the fastening point, and (2) the interfacing surfaces of the plates intimately contact each other fully across their surfaces or at least partially across their surfaces. The plate innermost to the container is usually affixed to the container body and provides an aperture equal to or greater than the size of the largest of any number of apertures provided on the outermost plate. One disadvantage of this closure device is that in order to be fully recloseable, the largest aperture cannot exceed half of the available discharge area dimensions of the container unless the two plates themselves extend beyond the dimensions of the container discharge area. The first alternative is undesirable in applications where the container contents have poor flow properties. In the second alternative, the container is awkward to store, package and handle and is unusable in instances where the container must be inserted into a female receiving member or receptacle having a confined space about the container.
Another closure device employs a flat plate affixed to a container having a channel or flanged segments into which a second plate is slidably engaged with action parallel to the surface of the first plate. The first plate provides an aperture of any size relative to the container discharge area, the largest aperture, however, must be smaller than the dimensions of the second plate. The second plate may be positioned to fully conceal the aperture of the first plate. The disadvantage of this closure device, like that of the first described device, is that the aperture cannot be greater than half the available discharge area unless the closure device itself extends beyond the discharge area dimensions of the container.
Yet another closure device employs a tubular nozzle permanently affixed to a container and an array of adapter nozzles, each having a different aperture size smaller than the fixed nozzle aperture and either nested one upon the other and about the fixed nozzle or hingeably attached about the outside of the fixed nozzle. By partially or completely removing one adapter nozzle from the fixed nozzle and replacing it with another, a variety of restrictive discharge apertures can be provided. One disadvantage of this closure device is that aperture selection is restricted to the number of adapter nozzles provided. Another disadvantage is that aperture selection can seldom be accomplished in other than an upright position. Still another disadvantage is that the nozzle replacing function does not allow aperture selection which is truly integrally functional with the container or sufficiently convenient for many applications.
Other closure devices are known in the art which render a container resealable while avoiding complete separation of the closure device from the container. One such device has a threaded cap which engages threads on the outside surface or inside surface of the container throat and a flexible strip or hinge having one end affixed to the container and the other end affixed to the closure device. Another closure device commonly known as a snap-cap, has an inwardly extending flange which engages below an outwardly extending flange on the rim of the container throat. The cap, which is connected by a flexible strap or hinge to the container, is sufficiently flexible to permit the flanges to distort and slip around each other when a prying force is applied upwards at the periphery of the cap. One disadvantage of these closure devices is that they generally cannot be operated while the container is in a dischargeable position or while the container is engaged within a receiving body. Another disadvantage is that these closure devices cannot be rendered fully conformable to any given geometric container shape or configuration which may be required to be adjacent the closure device.
Yet another closure device which is resealable and remains integral with the container comprises a resilient member which may be pierced or sufficiently distended to separate the member by stretching a cell or collapsed channel with an external object such as a needle. The resiliency of the closure member enables it to reseal after removal of the external object by means of compression about the puncture or recollapse of the channel.
Still another resealable closure device provides a nozzle pivotably mounted and at least partially concealed within a second closure member affixed to the container. The nozzle contains a passage extending from the discharge region of the nozzle to the portion of the nozzle which is concealed within the second member. When the nozzle is positioned at an extreme endpoint of movement, the passage in the nozzle is blocked by a solid portion of the second member. When the nozzle is pivoted to any position beyond the extreme endpoints, the nozzle passage is exposed to a portion or the entirety of an aperture disposed within the second member which allows passage of the container contents through the second member and into the nozzle passage. One disadvantage of the two above mentioned closure devices is that they are operable only with very free flowing contents or with contents which require an internally exerted container pressure to force discharge. Another disadvantage is that these closure devices may not have the sealing ability to prevent the contents from escaping the container or outside contaminents from entering over a period of storage or under handling conditions without resorting to the addition of extra sealing components.